DIY Blog

Boozy pops are what tiki-bar backyard dreams are made of. For some reason, my Facebook newsfeed is flooded with tempting images of adult popsicles, such as mojitos on a stick and frozen Frangelico. I don’t know what I did to be bombarded with “boozy pop” recipes, videos, and headlines on Facebook, but I admit I can’t look away. After learning about these delightful concoctions, I’ve imagined myself savoring them while lounging in my hot-tub-big-enough-to-swim-in. The yard is covered in tropical flowers and all mosquitoes are dead. Nate’s there too, with his shirt off, his bronzed muscles glistening in the sun. Alex is safely tucked away at college.

In reality, though, I’m ankle deep in a plastic kiddie pool and the Tequila Sunrise pops I’ve just made are not coming out of their molds. Oh, the sticks will come out, but not the actual popsicles. As a result, I’ve resorted to seeing how much booze I can lick out of the molds. Nate, on the other hand, actually manages to pull one of the popsicles out and I’m given the honor of the first taste, which is really quite nice. The frozen treat is fruity and refreshing, with just a touch of tequila, but not enough to really notice, as demonstrated in the following conversation when Nate finishes his popsicle:

Me: How do you feel?

Nate: Fine.

Full view of the popsicles still in their molds. Photo by Cecilia Kennedy.

So, if you decide to skip the tequila in the recipe, you won’t really notice. You’ll still end up with a refreshing treat. However, I do want to try this recipe again, to see if I can produce better results (i.e. get the sticks and the popsicles out of the mold at the same time). The recipe I followed is from Real Food by Dad with Matt Robinson and it’s called “Tropical Tequila Sunrise Popsicles.” The recipe says to fill the molds only ¾ of the way full, which is where I think things went wrong. If I had filled the molds up all the way to the top, the sticks and “lids” might have more firmly attached to the liquid when it froze. In any case, here’s the original recipe from the “Tropical Tequila Sunrise” post mentioned above. I’ve made notes in parentheses to mark where and how I strayed from the recipe:

–2 cups of pineapple juice. (I used a blend of banana, pineapple, and orange juice.)

–1 pound of fresh pineapple, peeled and pureed. (Fresh pineapple would certainly be a treat, but I couldn’t wait to get back out to the kiddie pool. Instead, I used canned, crushed pineapple that I strained.)

–3/4 cup of tequila.

–1/4 cup of grenadine. (I didn’t measure this part. Instead, I sort of guessed. I do that a lot. “Looks good to me” is my secret to cooking.)

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients above, distribute the mixture amongst the molds, and pour about a teaspoon of grenadine directly into the middle of each well. (I poured all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stirred gently. Then, I started to fill each well of the mold. This method most likely ensures an uneven distribution of alcohol, so some popsicles might end up with way more tequila than they should.)

The recipe above made more cocktails than there were molds to fill. However, the leftover cocktail mix could certainly serve as a dipping sauce for the popsicles. And, now that I think of it, a boozy dipping sauce would be just the thing to take these frozen treats over the top. The plastic kiddie pool, I believe, is just the right size for serving a boozy pop dip.

26 thoughts on “Summertime Frozen Cocktails on a Stick”

Well lesson learned about filling them – and It reminds me as to how we say that “all ovens vary” when it comes to cooking times – maybe some molds need 4/4 full?
And my favorite summer drink – little boring cos no alcohol but it is kombucha – mmmm Trilogy from GTs

We like to take a thermos of G and T to the beach (we walk there so there’s no driving to worry about). M makes them with very thin sliced cucumbers (on a mandolin) and a little cucumber juice in them as well. Ungava gin. Lots of ice, and the rest is half tonic and half soda water. So refreshing. I just sit looking at the water, unread book in one hand, G and T sipper in the other. 🙂

Yes-that’s how Nate’s one popsicle came out of the mold. I tried it with the other popsicles, but it didn’t work. However, we also made non-alcoholic popsicles with just the juice and the grenadine and they came out of their molds without any problem. Maybe the mixture of the alcohol and the pineapple bits made it difficult for the liquid to fully freeze? Thanks for stopping by!

Yay! I’m not the only one:) The alcohol does make it difficult for the mixture to fully freeze. The non-alcoholic popsicles I made came out really well, though. I just used the juice and grenadine. Cheers!

My favourite treat would be this, but a whole cup of tequila, none of that 3/4 nonsense 😉
I’m gonna have to get myself a kiddie pool though, I thought of that the other year but it would get so little use given the rare, random days of warmth we get in the UK.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, this look good! 😀

Since I live in Brazil, aka the land of eternal summer (I have just made this up, but roll with it), anything cold is fun. I’m lazy, so I like frozen pieces of watermelon, or leaving some sugar-covered slices of pineapple in the fridge for a few hours and then eating them like there’s no tomorrow. If I stop being lazy, I’ll definitely try some boozy popsicles! 🙂

I definitely love it! If they’re too sweet (depends on sweet the actual pineapple is), I sometimes add some table cream to it to tone it down. If you try it, with or without the cream, I’d love to hear your take on it! 🙂

About the Author

Hammering and sifting her way through DIY projects, Cecilia Kennedy shares newly-learned skills. Earning her doctorate in literature exposed her to many “useful” DIY manuals from the Middle Ages, which taught audiences to jelly eels and apply leaches to cure illnesses. For more modern projects, she relies on articles and local experts; her husband Nathan, an accountant who has also done construction work; her teenage son Alex; and SeaTac the “action cat,” who can’t resist a project. Cecilia and her family live in the Greater Seattle area.